There are so many things I could write about today, and honestly, to look back and reflect on everything is somewhat overwhelming.
Facing the Future (FAFU), a child development center in Kibera. Julia Douglas photo
Instead, I’m going to focus on one small part of the day that had a powerful, and I’m sure lasting, impact on the group: Our immediate arrival at Facing the Future in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi, Kenya.
FAFU is not accessible by vehicle, as it is located on a very narrow dirt pathway. In order to reach the school, you need to have your vehicle drop you off and then walk the remainder of the way. It’s only a 5-minute walk, but in that short time you step across active railroad tracks and jump across a trench filled with waste. As Anne, the Y’s Wellness Nurse Coordinator in our group, said: “The smell assaulted my senses.”
After hearing her description, I felt that maybe it was a small blessing that I was congested.
Facing the Future (FAFU), a child development center in Kibera. Julia Douglas photo
As we approached the school, Simeon, the founder of FAFU, pushed open the gate and we were immediately greeted by cheers and clapping. The children had gathered in the courtyard decked out in their blue and red school uniforms.
As I stopped to take it all in, my coworker, Carolynn, leaned over to me and said, “It’s like we’re celebrities.”
The whole experience was surreal. It was our first day visiting the school, we hadn’t brought any supplies or treats with us yet, and the children were genuinely excited that we had come to visit them. It was a truly humbling experience. We hadn’t done anything for them, and they were still so unbelievably hospitable. One thing I learned on my first day was that the school is about empowerment and building individuals up—whether they be students, staff, or volunteers they matter at FAFU.
The children proceeded with their welcome ceremony, and we were able to witness the upperclassman raise the Kenyan flag, and the entire student body sing the national anthem and the school song. The older girls sang a song about being a “slum girl” and how they can be more and deserve more. It was a touching piece, and, again, goes back to empowerment.
The children are unbelievably kind to visitors, but more importantly they have a genuine love for their peers. I observed a second grade math class in which a student solved a problem correctly and was promptly commended by her peers. The children began to sing a song to her in Swahili, which I didn’t understand, but it ended with them shouting “You are the best!” Another instance of this kindness was witnessed when a child was speaking to Allison, one of the volunteers, about dancing. The child said he would get his friend to show her a dance, because dancing was his friend’s “special gift.” It was so touching that at such a young age they could see and acknowledge the talents of their peers.
The work FAFU is doing is absolutely amazing, because not only is this school providing “slum children” with an education, but it’s teaching them to be caring individuals who see their own potential, as well as the potential of those around them. Despite all the dust, mud, waste, and trash you pass before entering FAFU, it is impossible not to see the absolute beauty of the school from the moment you walk through the gate.
[Editor’s Note: This week, we are publishing posts from Julia Douglas of the New Canaan YMCA as she writes from Nairobi, Kenya, where she’s volunteering with a team to build a playground in the world’s second largest slum, Kibera.]